Council candidate Clark aims to change methods
John Clark has run twice for mayor.
April 4, 2008
First Ward City Council candidate John Clark checks the mail at the KOPN/89.5 FM station on March 17. Clark, who has been involved in dozens of local boards and organizations, is one of four candidates running for the First Ward City Council seat.
Accompanied by his cats, First Ward City Council candidate John Clark looks over city documents on March 17 at his house. Clark ran for mayor in Columbia in 2004 and 2007.
As legend has it, a great flood threatened to drown a small Native American village. In order to survive, the Native Americans called upon a very old, very wise, giant sea turtle to allow them to ride on his massive shell, so the people of the village could stay afloat.
John Clark, 65, said he sees himself as Columbia’s metaphorical turtle.
His wisdom comes from his experience, he said.
There’s no doubt he knows a lot about Columbia. So much so, in fact, that he said he’s sometimes so burdened with information that he can’t help but share it with anyone who will listen about the problems — and his ideas for solutions — that plague Columbia.
Clark has lived in Columbia for 40 years and dates his service to the city to founding the North Central Neighborhood Association 15 years ago. During that time he said he’s never been afraid to raise his hand — even when it isn’t popular to do so — when he feels like a project is headed toward the wrong path.
“I’m rarely wrong when it comes to my analyses of situations,” he said in his cluttered home situated just north of downtown.
Clark has several decades of education that include semesters at Yale University, Washington University in St. Louis, UM-St. Louis and MU. He graduated from MU with degrees in accounting and law.
He said his education, experience and no-fear attitude toward speaking up qualify him to be the next First Ward city councilman.
His resume is a nine-page, bulleted list that details community activities he’s participated in and projects he’s led. The list includes time spent on the Central Columbia Get Out The Vote Committee, the Daniel Boone Regional Library board and the North Central Neighborhood Association.
Clark spent most of his childhood in Ferguson, becoming a leader even then for his fourth-grade class.
“I’ve always had a knack for organizing people,” Clark said.
As a 10-year-old, Clark organized a group of fourth-grade boys to participate in YMCA activities, including convincing his homeroom teacher to be the required adult in charge of the group, he recalled. The group was able to stay together through high school, though Clark had to ask several adults to advise them through the years.
Now Clark spends his time working as a financial officer for KOPN/89.5 FM and researching issues that affect Columbia.
A regular at Columbia City Council meetings, Clark is looking for a way to change his methods. Instead of making suggestions at council meetings, participating on city boards or commissions and planning projects, he said he had done all he can from the outside in, and it’s time he starts making a difference from the inside out.
The solution: become the First Ward City Council representative.
“I’ve done everything I can from standing on the outside,” Clark said. “To make a real difference, at this point, I need to be changing the city from the inside.”
Clark ran for mayor twice before starting his campaign for the First Ward position.
At Monday night’s forum sponsored by the Frederick Douglass Coalition, audience members questioned Clark’s ability to fill the First Ward position, after losing both mayoral races.
Clark said he’s satisfied with the results of the elections, though.
“I got over 3,000 votes, when everyone else expected me to get 300,” Clark said after the forum.
Clark received 3,224 votes, or 24.92 percent, in the 2007 mayoral election.
He said running for City Council is something he has to do.
“I have a fire in my belly to do this,” he said.
Clark said he wouldn’t have much of a learning curve if he gets elected because he already has the institutional knowledge of most of the issues that affect the First Ward.
Sometimes he has so much information that he’s not sure when to stop talking, he said.
“It’s almost like a burden,” Clark said. “People make the best decisions when they have all the knowledge. And a lot of the time, I have the most knowledge on the subject.”
But, he said, talking too much is something he’s working on. He said he didn’t think it would be a problem during City Council meetings, when council members are trying to be as efficient as possible.
More April 4, 2008 Outlook Stories
- House considers changing helmet law — Fatality rates have increased with the repeal of helmet laws, according to a study conducted by a professor from MU’s ...
- Spence to work for students — America has been overwhelmed with political talk the past few months. Hillary and Barack, McCain and Mitt. The constant barrage ...
- Prof. surveys environmental attitudes — Although awareness of global warming is on the rise, the American public is more concerned with local and national environmental ...
- Student, health educator campaign — College Democrats of Missouri President Nate Kennedy said one of his main goals as an active member of the Democratic ...
- Sturtz meets students — Paul Sturtz, a candidate for Columbia First Ward city councilman, which encompasses MU, met with students Thursday night at the ...
Most recent Outlook Stories
- Democrats rally behind Obama at convention — Speakers at the Democratic National Convention, including both Clintons and VP pick Joe Biden, praised the Illinois senator.
- Man flees bank robbery on a bike — Maurice Penny Sr. was arrested on suspicion of first-degree robbery.
- More cases of counterfeit bills found — Two separate incidents of counterfeit bills were reported to Columbia police Tuesday evening.
- Report: Despite flooding, farmers might have high yield — The U.S. Department of Agriculture said the increase should come despite June flooding.
- Teenager drowns at Stephens Lake — The teen was diving in a prohibited area.